Girlfriend
by angellwings
Summary: Natella. Ella struggles with the idea that Connect Three's fans may not like her.


**A/N:** So, this story was originally going to end very differently than it does. I intended it to be a Dana/Ella friendship story, but as I was writing this it seemed to take on a mind of it's own. When I started writing this I was only going to have Nate around for a few seconds, but what can I say? The guy wanted to come back into the scene. He kept bugging me until I included him. Haha, enjoy!

* * *

**Girlfriend**

by angellwings

* * *

Ella took a deep slow breath as her eyes landed on the browser. Why was she watching this? She shouldn't be. These people didn't know her. They didn't know anything about her or her relationship with Nate. But…they were still his fans. They were an important part of his life.

And she wanted them to like her, damn it.

But that wasn't a good enough reason to subject herself to _this._ She blamed it on morbid curiosity. Mitchie had sent her the link to her new video that she, Tess, Caitlyn, and Dana had made cameos in. She'd loved the final video. It was awesome. But then she'd looked over at the related videos…

"_Girlfriend—Date vs. Natella"_

She just _had_ to click on it.

She instantly regretted that decision when she heard Avril Lavigne's "Girlfriend" start to play. For the life of her though she couldn't look away. It was like she was in a car accident and she could see the other car coming straight for her, but she couldn't seem to make herself hit the gas and get out of the way.

"_Hey, hey, you, you…I don't like your girlfriend. No way, no way. I think you need a new one."_

Apparently, _they_ didn't like her. She swallowed thickly as black and white candids of her and Nate flashed across the screen. She was being taken out of the photos in a number of ways. Her face was marked out, painted over, and cut away. She closed her eyes to shield herself from the images but they were still there. Painted on the blackness of her eyelids.

"_Hey, hey, you, you…I could be your girlfriend. Hey, hey, you, you…I know that you like me. No way, no way. No it's not a secret."_

But they did like Dana. Color photos of Nate and Dana appeared and faded gracefully. They were all old photos from several years back. From the early days of Nate and Dana's relationship. The last photo though, was fairly recent, Nate was looking at her adoringly and she was glancing away from him with a blush. She remembered the moment. Dana had just finished her first performance with Connect Three's back up band. She had been amazing. Ella had walked up just after the photo. Nate had been congratulating Dana on a job well done.

That moment had been strictly platonic. She _knew_ that. But the photo…

Well, it probably didn't _seem_ that way to the fans. The verse started and separate photos of Nate and Dana appeared. All the photos were different. The last photo before the prechorus was another old photo of Nate and Dana, and then another black and white photo of herself blinked along with the beat of the song.

"_She's like so whatever. You could do so much better."_

Fade out on her own face and fade in, yet again, on that more recent photo of Nate and Dana.

"_I think we should get together now, and that's what everyone's talkin' about."_

The rest of the video was pretty much the same, and Ella could feel herself getting more upset as the song continued. Did people really think she and Nate were _that_ awful together? She swallowed thickly as the bridge started.

"_In a second you'll be wrapped around my finger cause I can—cause I can do it better. There's no other so when's it gonna sink in? She's so stupid what the hell were you thinkin'?"_

Her eyes began to water and she sniffled. Great, she was gonna cry. People she'd never met were making her cry. Maybe she really _was_ stupid. She bit her bottom lip and breathed deeply. She would not cry. She wouldn't.

Suddenly she could hear talking outside. The voices were coming toward the bus. Ella's eyes widened and she furiously rubbed them. She moved swiftly and minimized the browser. She pulled up another tab and loaded twitter _just_ as the door opened.

Nate smiled brightly when he saw her. "Hey."

She imitated his smile. "Hey."

He placed a lingering kiss on her temple as Jason and Shane boarded the bus behind him. "You should be here to greet me every time I get on this bus."

She chuckled softly. "Ah, if only I didn't have to work or need to pay rent."

"I could kidnap you," He smirked as he sat down beside of her and put an arm around her waist. "Then you'd have no choice."

She smiled half heartedly at him and rested her head on his shoulder. "You're insane."

"I know," He grinned. "So, what have you been up to?"

"N-nothing," She stuttered. "Just browsing Twitter. You know me. I'm a twit-a-holic."

"Hey, lovebirds. There are innocents present. Separate," Shane ordered.

"Innocents?" Jason laughed. "Yeah, right. And if _they_ have to separate then you and Mitchie need to stay _several rooms_ away from each other."

"Hey!" Shane pouted. "I could be an innocent."

Jason rolled his eyes. "No, just no. Come on, Nate. Phone interview in fifteen."

Nate nodded. "I'm coming." He turned to Ella and squeezed her tighter. "I hope you're gonna be done with Twitter soon. I've just got this one interview, and then I plan on spending some much needed quality time with you."

She nodded. "I'll be done. Promise."

"Good," He said as he kissed her quickly and then caught up with his brothers. She breathed a sigh of relief and rested her head in her hands. He didn't seem to notice anything was up. She waited a few moments before returning to the video. She made sure she could hear muffled voices first.

She'd nearly clicked play when the door opened again.

"Hey!"

Ella jumped and nearly fell out of her chair. "Dana!"

Dana quirked a brow at Ella. "You okay?"

Ella scrambled to hide the screen _and_ pull herself back into the chair. "I—I'm fine. I'm completely fine."

"What are you watching?" Dana asked suspiciously.

"Nothing! Just a Youtube thing."

Ella lifted her hand to place it on her wireless mouse but Dana beat her to it. Ella cried out as Dana took her chair. Dana's brow furrowed as she read the title of the video. "Date vs. Natella? _What?_"

"No! Don't—"

Before Ella could say anything Dana had pressed play.

"_In a second you'll be wrapped around my finger cause I can—cause I can do it better. There's no other so when's it gonna sink in? She's so stupid what the hell were you thinkin'?"_

"_What_ is this?" Dana asked with a glare as a picture of Ella labeled "stupid" appeared on the screen.

"I—Nothing. Just a stupid video, that's all—"

"Why are you even _watching_ this trash?" Dana asked.

"I don't want to be watching it…but it just popped up in the related videos and I couldn't…help it," Ella explained lamely.

"You don't believe any of this do you? _Please_ tell me you don't. Nate and I are _long_ over," Dana assured her with a sigh. "And _you_ are far from stupid."

Ella huffed and paced. "I know that. Believe _me_, I do. B—but…"

"But what?" Dana asked.

"The fans _hate_ me," Ella told her with a shaky breath. "They think I'm totally wrong for him, and…and what if…what if they're right?"

"Ella," Dana said sternly. "No. They're not. And you can't take _this_ fan's opinion as what's generally accepted. It's only one fan."

"It is not! Dana, look at the comments. Look at them! They _love _you and _hate_ me. There's not a single comment on there defending me. Not _one_," Ella exclaimed. "What have you got that I don't? What am I doing wrong?"

"Nothing. You're not doing anything wrong. And who cares what they think? It only matters what you and Nate think. And I know for a fact that Nate thinks you're pretty wonderful. He's told me so himself."

Ella's expression softened and she smiled thinly. "I think he's pretty wonderful too, but his fans—"

Dana sighed. "They're gonna think what they want to think. All you can do is be yourself and hope they see what the people closest to you see. You can't let it tear you apart. Not only that, but if you want to be with Nate then you're going to have to learn to deal with this. The fans will always have their opinions and _you_ can't change them."

Ella ran shaky hands through her hair. "I _do_ want to be with Nate. There's nothing else I want more. I love him."

"Then _talk_ to him about this. He might make you feel better about it," Dana told her.

Ella shook her head. "No, no. I don't want to worry him. I'll—I'll deal."

"You'll _deal_ with what?"

Ella gasped and turned to see Nate's stern face gazing at her pointedly.

"Nothing, really. It's nothing—"

Dana rolled here eyes. "Your fans don't like her and she's freaking out."

Ella glared at her. "Why? _Just_ why?"

Dana shook her head and stood up. "You'll thank me later." She turned to Nate. "Are Shane and Jason in the back?"

Nate nodded but his eyes never left Ella.

"Good," Dana said. "I'll keep them busy while you talk some sense into her."

Nate grinned at Dana in amusement. "Thanks."

"What else are ex-girlfriends for?" Dana asked with a wry grin as she left the room.

Nate waited till she was gone to turn back to Ella. "Why do you think my fans don't like you?"

Ella bit her lip. "I don't _think_ they don't. I _know_ they don't."

"What are you _talking_ about?"

"Do you really want to know?" Ella asked hesitantly.

"Yes, I _really_ want to know."

"You're not going to like it," Ella warned him.

"Ella, just tell me. You're being cryptic and it's irritating me," He told her honestly with a huff.

She blinked at the sharpness of his tone, but nodded and motioned him over to the computer. "I stumbled across this video today."

She didn't bother explaining anything else. She just let it play. She walked away from the computer and tried to block out the sound or the images that appeared in her mind, but she couldn't. The video ended and Ella still refused to turn around. Silence stretched out between them for several minutes before Ella felt a hand gently wrap around her wrist. She was forced to turn around and face him. His other hand came up and his finger traced her jawline.

"Ella, it's just one video. Just a handful of fans."

"But what if that handful becomes…several handfuls, Nate? What happens then?" She asked him softly. His hand cupped her face and she leaned into its warmth.

"That won't happen," He assured her.

"You can't know that."

"Yes I can. I already _do_ know that," Nate promised. "You just happened to look in the wrong place."

Her brow furrowed. "What does that mean?"

"Hold on," He said with a soft smile as he turned back to the computer. "I was going to show you this tonight, but now seems like a better time. Cailtyn sent me this link. One of the fans sent it to her on Twitter."

"What is it?" Ella asked curiously as she watched Nate log into his email and click a link out of one of Caitlyn's e-mails.

"See for yourself," Nate said as he motioned for her to take his spot in front of the laptop.

Her eyes widened and she gasped at what she saw.

"_Natella Out and About"_

It was an article and a gallery of candid photos of the two of them. But what had caused her to gasp were the comments.

"_Awwww, they're just so precious."_

"_I think the cute just killed me. *dead*"_

"_Look at the way they're looking at each other. BAH, can I keep them? Really, can I?"_

Ella chuckled and turned to smile at Nate, but he stopped her and motioned back to the screen.

"Keep reading. The last one is my favorite."

She nodded and returned her attention to the article.

"_How much more perfect can these two be? Answer: THEY CAN'T BE. They're the Mary Poppins of celebrity relationships. No really, they are! (In case you don't get the reference: Mary Poppins is 'perfectly perfect in every way.')"_

Ella blushed and smiled shyly. Nate closed the laptop and turned her back around to face him. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled against him. "See? You just weren't really looking. My fans certainly don't hate you, and even if they did…it wouldn't change the fact that I love you. _Nothing_ can or will."

She melted. Right there in his arms she felt herself turning into a gooey mess. Her expression softened. "Nate, I love you too."

He rested his forehead against hers, and she heard him take in a nervous breath before he spoke up again. "Enough to…marry me?"

Ella took in a sharp breath and her mouth went dry. "Wh—what?"

"Again, this is something I was going to do _tonight_, but…I don't think I can wait," Nate said anxiously. "Ella, will you marry me?"

A huge smile spread across her face and she looked down to play with the collar of his shirt. When she looked back up at him he could see mischief in her eyes. "You didn't say the magic word."

He smirked at her. "Oh, you're hilarious."

She pulled a straight face. "I'm serious. You need to say the magic word."

He leaned down to her ear and she shivered at the feeling of his breath on her neck. Her breathing quickened as he whispered, "Please? Please, marry me?"

She nodded and then caught his gaze. Her breath caught in her throat before she answered. "Yes. Oh God, yes. Nate, there's nothing I'd rather do."

Nate let out a relieved sigh. "Good."

Ella giggled at his nerves. "You're so cute when you're nervous."

"I—I wasn't nervous."

She laughed. "Yeah, right. Good try, Nathaniel."

He cupped both sides of her face as she laughed. She noticed his serious expression and looked at him questioningly.

"You need to promise something," Nate told her.

"What's that?" Ella asked.

"That from now on when something upsets you, you'll tell me the truth and _talk_ to me about it?" He asked.

Ella nodded guiltily. "I promise."

His thumb caressed her cheek and he dipped his lips down to cover hers. Her arms went around his middle as he kissed her. They pulled apart to catch their breath and Nate smiled slowly at her. "_I_ want to be the one to make you feel better about these things. In fact, I think I _should_ be the one to make you feel better about these things."

Ella hugged him tighter. "You're right. You should be. And from now on, you will be. I promise."


End file.
